Mindy Smith

Alt-country chanteuse Mindy Smith is one of the most promising talents to recently emerge from the Nashville scene. In fact, Dolly Parton herself has called her the finest songwriter she’s seen in the past 20 years.

Appeal

If your idea of sexiness is limited to buxom blonde bombshells with traffic-stopping curves, then Mindy Smith might not be your bag. If, however, you like women with sexy, heaven-sent voices, then this sultry Long Islander is guaranteed to bring you to your knees. No less an authority than Rolling Stone has hailed Mindy’s voice as “marvelous,” claiming that, “It bends and dips at unexpected moments, then swings seamlessly from pissed to tender, from smoky-strong to little-girlie.”

Success

Despite being a relative newcomer to the music scene, Mindy has already performed with industry stalwarts such as Norah Jones, Sinéad O ’Connor and Melissa Etheridge, all of whom she met during the recording of the tribute concert and album for Dolly Parton, Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. Although Mindy had agreed to appear on the show in order to pay tribute to Parton, it was Parton herself who ended up paying tribute to Mindy in the press. "Even though Mindy is still young and new to the music business, I believe she will leave her mark as one of our greatest writers and singers ever," she later said.

Parton even went so far as to head to the studio to rerecord her classic hit “Jolene” as a duet with Mindy. That version of the song can now be heard on Mindy’s debut album, One Moment More. Released on January 27, 2004, the 12-song disc peaked at the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers en route to winning Mindy a coveted Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2004 Americana Awards. Songs from the album have also since been featured on Six Feet Under, Summerland and Smallville.

Mindy Smith Biography

Mindy Smith was born in Long Island, New York in 1974. Adopted at birth by a local minister, her earliest and most enduring musical role model was her adopted mother, Sharron, the church’s choir director. "She had the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard," Mindy recalls. "She had the ability to touch people, to move mountains with her voice. If I learned anything from her, it’s to put all of your emotion into your performance. That’s what music is for.”

mindy smith moves to knoxville, tennessee

Sadly, Sharron died of cancer when Mindy was just 19. Although her mother’s death left Mindy emotionally distraught, it also prompted her to pursue her musical ambitions with renewed vigor. By now living in Knoxville, Tennessee, Mindy began showcasing herself as an aspiring singer and songwriter. “I started playing at a place called Manhattan’s in an area of Knoxville known as the Old City,” she says. “Those were really my first gigs, and I didn’t even play guitar at the time, I just sang a cappella.”

mindy smith heads to nashville

Luckily, she learned how to play the guitar soon enough, and after hundreds of open-mic gigs, Mindy decided to pack her bags and head to Nashville, Tennessee in 1998. The transition wasn’t always easy, as she struggled to support herself with a succession of low-paying jobs, but Mindy persevered and eventually began to land spots on some of the city’s biggest showcases. Mindy’s burgeoning talent also caught the eye of Big Yellow Dog Music, an independent label that presented her with the golden opportunity to record a series of demos.

"I finally had the chance to record my songs and my voice the way I wanted to, and all of a sudden everything changed for me," she recalls. "I just needed the chance to do my best songs the way I wanted. As soon as I did that, things started happening."

mindy smith wins the praise of dolly parton

Within a matter of months, Mindy became a virtual force on the Nashville scene. She won the Tin Pan South Open Mic Contest in 2000 and she was a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Competition. She also was selected in 2003 to perform on Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. The televised tribute concert and accompanying album also featured A-list talent like Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, and Dolly Parton herself. In fact, Parton was so impressed by Mindy’s cover of her tearjerker “Jolene” that she suggested the pair record it as a duet.

mindy smith releases her debut album

Just when it seemed as though things couldn’t get any better, Mindy was signed to her first major contract later that year by Vanguard Records. The label’s active support allowed Mindy to take time away from touring to work on her debut album, One Moment More. Released on January 27, 2004, the critically acclaimed 12-track disc peaked at the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers, thanks in part to hit-singles like “Jolene,” “Come to Jesus” and “One Moment More,” The album’s immense success also netted Mindy a coveted Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2004 Americana Awards. "I am completely overjoyed with my record,” she says. “I’m very proud of it. It’s me."

mindy smith releases her sophomore album

Mindy’s second album is Long Island Shores. Released on October 10, 2006, the 12-song disc is a tribute to her girlhood home. “No one’s done a song about how beautiful Long Island is,” she says. “So many of us who live there are so unspoken for.”